학술논문
An experimental limit on the charge of antihydrogen.
Document Type
article
Author
Amole, C; Ashkezari, MD; Baquero-Ruiz, M; Bertsche, W; Butler, E; Capra, A; Cesar, CL; Charlton, M; Eriksson, S; Fajans, J; Friesen, T; Fujiwara, MC; Gill, DR; Gutierrez, A; Hangst, JS; Hardy, WN; Hayden, ME; Isaac, CA; Jonsell, S; Kurchaninov, L; Little, A; Madsen, N; McKenna, JTK; Menary, S; Napoli, SC; Nolan, P; Olchanski, K; Olin, A; Povilus, A; Pusa, P; Rasmussen, CØ; Robicheaux, F; Sarid, E; Silveira, DM; So, C; Tharp, TD; Thompson, RI; van der Werf, DP; Vendeiro, Z; Wurtele, JS; Zhmoginov, AI; Charman, AE
Source
Nature communications. 5(1)
Subject
Language
Abstract
The properties of antihydrogen are expected to be identical to those of hydrogen, and any differences would constitute a profound challenge to the fundamental theories of physics. The most commonly discussed antiatom-based tests of these theories are searches for antihydrogen-hydrogen spectral differences (tests of CPT (charge-parity-time) invariance) or gravitational differences (tests of the weak equivalence principle). Here we, the ALPHA Collaboration, report a different and somewhat unusual test of CPT and of quantum anomaly cancellation. A retrospective analysis of the influence of electric fields on antihydrogen atoms released from the ALPHA trap finds a mean axial deflection of 4.1 ± 3.4 mm for an average axial electric field of 0.51 V mm(-1). Combined with extensive numerical modelling, this measurement leads to a bound on the charge Qe of antihydrogen of Q=(-1.3 ± 1.1 ± 0.4) × 10(-8). Here, e is the unit charge, and the errors are from statistics and systematic effects.